KR101762201B1 - Plastic cooler for cooling electronic components - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plastic cooler for cooling electronic components or modules, A discharge channel for discharging the cooling fluid; And at least one well-shaped well communicating with a supply channel and an outlet channel to circulate the cooling fluid from the supply channel to the discharge channel, wherein the well is open at the top and hermetically mounted thereon The cooling fluid circulating through the well is directly contacted to the bottom surface of the component to cool the electronic component. This cooler of the present invention not only provides a mounting area for the modules, but also provides lightweight, space-saving, corrosion-resistant cooling to the components. The cooler may be mounted to the core of the inductor to absorb heat generated by the core loss.

Description

PLASTIC COOLER FOR COOLING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

Cross reference of related application

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 885,932, filed January 22, 2007.

The present application relates generally to the cooling of electronic components. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates generally to a plastic cooler for cooling electronic components used in a cooling apparatus for variable drive.

Variable speed drives (VSDs) for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling (HVAC & R) applications can include rectifiers or converters, DC links and inverters. Variable speed drives employing current- Medium voltage variable drives frequently utilize liquid cooled inductors.

When a liquid cooled coil inductor is used, the coil inductors can be copper tubes which are compressed in an elliptical shape. The coolant circulates directly through the inductor tubing and requires the use of deionized water to avoid copper being plated into the cooling medium. The deionization cooling loop allows for good electrical isolation between various other components that are part of the cooling system as well as various electronic components that require cooling as the coolant contacts the inductor tubing.

In addition to the topics discussed above with respect to VSDs and inductors, in the past, power assembly designs were bulky and heavy. They used aluminum electrolytic capacitors with inherent wear mechanisms associated with the use of liquid electrolytes and seals. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are physically heavy and difficult to mount due to their cylindrical shape. The heat sinks were made of copper or aluminum material. Aluminum causes corrosion problems when used in a closed loop cooling system in which copper components are in direct contact with the cooling fluid. Even when forbidden fluids are used, they have a known lifetime and require periodic, regular maintenance. Due to their significant weight, these power assembly designs exhibit weakness in the area of wire bond failure within the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) as a result of vibration. This vulnerability is widespread as a result of power / thermal cycling due to temperature changes between a heat sink with an IGBT module and a laminated bus bar electrically connecting the IGBT modules together. Power assemblies typically require a metal frame into which the capacitors are inserted. The TGBT power modules are typically mounted above the heat sink, and the heat sink is typically attached to the metal frame. Finally, stacked bus bar assemblies are often located on top of the assembly, and the screws and clamps are used to secure the assembly together as a subassembly, which adds to the volume and load of the design.

The advantages of the disclosed devices and / or methods are to meet one or more of these needs or to provide other desirable features. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the specification. The following description of the embodiments is within the scope of the claims whether or not they achieve one or more of the above-mentioned needs.

One embodiment includes a plastic cooler for cooling electronic components comprising a base, a cooling well formed at the top of the base and open at the top, a cooling well formed in the base to receive a cooling fluid to be introduced into the cooling well A supply channel, a discharge channel formed in the base to allow the cooling fluid to be transported to flow out of the cooling well, a cooling well inlet formed in the cooling well and in communication with the supply channel, And a cooling well outlet communicating with the supply channel. The feed channel is large enough for the size and flow characteristics of the well and the cooling well inlet and outlet such that the pressure drop across the feed channel is significantly less than the pressure drop across the well when the cooling fluid flows through the cooler.

Another example includes a plastic cooling device for a variable speed drive having a VSD device having a converter stage coupled to an AC power source providing an input AC voltage, a DC link connected to the converter stage, and an inverter stage connected to the DC link . The plastic cooling device also includes a cooling device for cooling the components in the variable speed drive. The cooling device includes a plastic cooler configured to receive a plurality of fasteners for engaging and securing the electronic component.

Another embodiment includes a plastic cooling device for an inductor having an inductor with a core and a coil. The cooling device also includes a heat sink for heat exchange with the core. In the cooling system, the liquid flow in the heat sink absorbs the heat generated by the core and coil losses.

Advantages of the embodiments described herein are that the size, load, and cost of the inductors are reduced and the coils of the inductors provide a cooling conduction of heat to the core.

Alternate embodiments relate to other features, and combinations of features are generally recited in the claims.

Figures 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of embodiments of general device configurations.
Figures 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams of embodiments of variable speed drives.
3 is a schematic view of a cooling apparatus.
4 is a plan view of an embodiment of a plastic cooler according to the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view of the plastic cooler shown along line 3-3 of FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the plastic cooler shown along line 4-4 of FIG.
6 is a plan view showing a well and an O (O) ring of the plastic cooler of FIG.
8 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of a well and an O (O) ring.
Figure 9 shows a film capacitor, a plastic cooler and associated mounting components.
11 is a view showing a five-leg core, liquid cooling type inductor. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a five-legged core, liquid cooled inductor.
12 is a view showing CFD analysis of the five-leg core, liquid cooling inductor shown in Fig.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing a general apparatus configuration. AC power source 102 provides power to a variable speed drive (VSD) 104 that applies power to motor 106 (see FIG. 1A) or motor 106 (see FIG. 1B). The motor 106 may be used to drive a corresponding compressor of a refrigeration or cooling system (see FIG. 3). The AC power source 102 provides alternating current (AC) power at a fixed frequency and single phase or multiphase (i.e., three phase) fixed voltage to the VSD 104 from an AC power grid or distribution device present in the field. The AC power source 102 may preferably supply an AC voltage or line voltage of 200 V, 230 V, 380 V, 460 V, or 600 V at a line frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz, depending on the corresponding AC power grid .

The VSD 104 accepts AC power having a particular fixed line voltage and a fixed line frequency from the AC power source 102 and transmits the AC power to the motor (s) at the desired voltage and desired frequency, 106). Preferably, the VSD 104 may provide AC 106 with a voltage and frequency or a lower voltage and frequency than the rated voltage and frequency of the motor 106 to the motor 106. In another embodiment, the VSD 104 may provide a frequency higher and lower than the rated voltage and the same or lower voltage of the motor 106 and the rated voltage. The motor 106 may be an induction motor, or it may comprise a motor of some type capable of operating at a variable speed. The induction motor may have any suitable stimulation arrangement including two stimuli, four stimuli or six stimuli.

2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating other embodiments of the VSD 104. FIG. The VSD 104 includes three stages; An output stage with a converter stage 202, a DC link stage 204 and an inverter 206 (see FIG. 2A) or a plurality of inverters 206 (see FIG. 2B). The converter 202 converts the AC power of the fixed line frequency, fixed line voltage, coming from the AC power source 102 to DC power. The DC link 204 filters the DC power from the converter 202 and provides it to the energy storage components. DC link 204 may be comprised of capacitors and inductors which are passive devices that exhibit high reliability and very low failure rates. 2A, the inverter 206 converts the DC power from the DC link 204 to a variable frequency, variable voltage AC power for the motor 106, The inverters 206 are connected in parallel to the DC link 204 and each inverter 206 converts DC power from the DC link 204 to a variable frequency for the corresponding motor 106, AC power. The inverters 206 may be power modules that may include power transistors, insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power switches, and inverting diodes coupled together using wire bond technology. The DC link 204 of the VSD 104 and the inverters 206 of the VSD 104 can be coupled to the motor 106 as long as the DC link 204 and the inverters 206 of the VSD 104 can provide the appropriate output voltage and frequency to the motor 106. [ 206 may incorporate the other components mentioned above.

1B and 2B, each inverter 206 is configured to provide AC power to the corresponding motor at the same desired power and frequency based on control commands or common control signals provided to each of the inverters 206 The inverters 206 are controlled together by the control device. In another embodiment, each inverter 206 provides AC power at a different desired power and frequency to a corresponding motor 106 based on control commands or separate control signals provided to each of the inverters 206 The inverters 206 are individually controlled by the control device. By providing AC voltages of different voltages and frequencies, the inverters 206 of the VSD 104 can more effectively satisfy the motor 106 and the device can be connected to other motors 106 Provides commands independent of the requirements of the devices. For example, one inverter 206 may provide full power to the motor 106 while the other inverter 206 may provide half the power to the other motor 106. In each embodiment, control of the inverter 206 may be by a control panel or other suitable control device.

For each motor 106 that is powered by the VSD 104, there is a corresponding inverter 206 in the output stage of the VSD 104. The number of motors 106 that can be powered by the VSD 104 depends on the number of inverters 206 incorporated into the VSD 104. [ Two or three inverters 206 may be integrated in the VSD 104 that are connected in parallel to the DC link 204 and used to power the corresponding motor 106. In one embodiment, do. The VSD 104 may have two to three inverters 206 as long as the DC link 204 can provide and maintain a suitable DC voltage for each of the inverters 206, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 206 < / RTI >

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the refrigeration or refrigeration apparatus using the VSD 104 and the apparatus configuration of FIGS. 1A and 2A. 3, the HVAC, refrigerated or liquid cooling apparatus 300 includes a compressor 302, a condenser 304, a liquid cooler or evaporator 306, and a control panel 308. The compressor 302 is driven by a motor 106 that is powered by the VSD 104. The VSD 104 accepts AC power having a particular fixed line voltage and a fixed line frequency from the AC power source 102 and transmits the AC power to the motor (s) at the desired voltage and desired frequency, 106). The control panel 308 may include various components such as a analog to digital (A / D) converter, a microprocessor, a non-volatile memory, and an interface board for controlling the operation of the refrigerator 300. The control panel 308 can be used to control the operation of the VSD 104, the motor 124 and the compressor 106. [

Compressor 302 compresses the refrigerant vapor and conveys it to condenser 304 via an exhaust line. The compressor 302 may be a screw compressor, a centrifugal compressor, a reciprocating compressor, a scroll compressor or any other suitable type of compressor. The coolant vapor delivered to the condenser 304 by the compressor 302 undergoes heat exchange with the fluid, i.e. air or water, and then undergoes a phase change to the coolant liquid as a result of heat exchange with the fluid. The condensed liquid coolant exiting the condenser 304 flows to the evaporator 306 through a corresponding expansion device (not shown).

The liquid coolant in the evaporator 306 undergoes heat exchange with a fluid, i.e., air or water, to lower the temperature of the fluid. The coolant liquid in the evaporator 306 undergoes a phase change into the coolant vapor as a result of heat exchange with the fluid. The vapor coolant in the evaporator 306 exits the evaporator 306 and returns to the compressor 302 by a suction line to complete the cycle. The evaporator 306 may include connections to the supply line and the return line of the cooling load. A secondary liquid such as water, ethylene, calcium chloride brine or sodium chloride brine passes through the return line into the evaporator 306 and exits the evaporator 306 via the feed line. The liquid coolant in the evaporator 306 undergoes heat exchange with the secondary liquid to lower the temperature of the secondary liquid. It will be appreciated that a suitable configuration of the condenser 304 and the evaporator 306 provided in the apparatus 300 may be used so that proper phase changes of the coolant in the condenser 304 and the evaporator 306 can be obtained.

The HVAC, refrigerated or liquid cooling apparatus 300 may include many other features not shown in FIG. 3 illustrates an HVAC, refrigerated, or liquid cooling apparatus 300 having one compressor connected by a single cooling circuit, the apparatus 300 may be implemented by a single VSD, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B, It will be appreciated that one can appreciate that multiple compressors may be provided that are powered by the VSD of one or more cooling circuits, .

Figures 4-8 illustrate a plastic cooler 10 according to the present invention that can be applied to the cooling system described above and directs the cooling fluid to electronic components or modules, such as high speed switches (such as IGBTs) (not shown) Respectively.

The plastic cooler 10 of the present invention is lighter than copper or aluminum basic heat sinks and is economical to manufacture and assemble. The cooling fluid circulating through the cooler will be a suitable fluid, namely water, glycol or refrigerant. Also, the plastic cooler 10 is not corroded like a normally time-consuming aluminum cooler. The plastic cooler allows the base plate of the semiconductor module to operate at a continuous use temperature of about 100 degrees Celsius.

To facilitate the overall operation of electronic components or modules, the plastic cooler 10 may be used at a continuous temperature of about 100 degrees Celsius and may be used in accordance with the provisions of the Underwriters Laboratories for approval of plastic materials for flammability (UL746A-E) One suitable standard is met. The plastic material used for the cooler 10 has a low level of liquid-absorbing power, has high tensile strength and is physically durable, and can be injection molded or machined. Since the power assemblies with cooler 10 are circulated by both temperature and power, the plastic material of cooler 10 has a coefficient of thermal expansion between the plastic cooler 10 and the copper foil- It must exhibit a low coefficient of thermal expansion to avoid wire bond failure in the semiconductor module due to mismatch. The plastic cooler 10 also acts as a fastener that allows multiple power devices to be attached together so that a single laminated bus bar structure can be used for electrical connection thereby reducing the size and load of the entire power assembly do. The plastic material used in the plastic cooler 10 may be selected from the group consisting of Noryl (R) (polyphenylene oxide, modified), Valox (R) (polybutylene terephthalate (PBJ) ), Or Vespel (R) (polyamide).

The plastic cooler 10 shown in Fig. 4 has mounting holes 11, which can be designed to accommodate screws or bolts that engage with electronic components and are fixed in the field. Although the plastic cooler 10 is shown as using mounting holes to secure electronic components to the base plate of the plastic cooler 10, other fastening devices or techniques, such as clamping devices, adhesives, welding, Can be used for fixing to plastic cooler 10.

The supply and discharge channels 12 and 13 as two main fluid channels are machined or formed in the plastic cooler 10 so that the cooling fluid is introduced into the cooler 10 via the supply channel 12 and then discharged Will exit cooler 10 via channel 13. In the illustrated embodiment, these channels are relatively large cylindrical channels that extend along the length of the plastic cooler 10. The channels are sized and shaped to have a relatively low pressure drop along their length.

On top of the plastic cooler 10 there are at least one well 20 in the form of a plurality of recesses in the illustrated embodiment. In one embodiment, each of the wells 20 is surrounded by an O ring groove 31 in which an O ring is to be disposed, so that fluid is not leaked. The electronic components or modules to be cooled are placed in position above each of the wells 20 and are fixed via mounting holes 11 or through other devices or techniques whereby electronic components and plastic coolers 10). An individual well 20 may be present for each individual electronic component or module to be cooled and the electronic component is located directly over the well 20 so that the bottom of the electronic component is in direct contact with the cooling fluid.

The wells 20 may have a width, length and shape designed to match the width, length and shape of the electronic component to be cooled. For example, in an HVAC application in which electronic components are switched, the wells 20 may have a width of about 1.5 inches and a length of 3 inches. The cooling fluid enters the well 20 from the supply channel 12 through the inlet 21 formed in the well 20 and flows through the well 20 and then exits the outlet 22 to the outlet 20, ≪ / RTI > The supply channel 12 and the discharge channel 13 are connected to the heat exchanger for cooling with the cooling fluid exiting the discharge channel 13. [

The plastic cooler 10 and its components provide optimal heat transfer between the cooling fluid and the electronic components in an efficient and economical manner. Nozzles with 90 degree angles are disposed which have a depth in the range of 0.02 to 0.20 inches and are connected by a hydraulic diameter of 0.05 to 0.20 inches and which inject cooling fluid at an angle of about 90 degrees to the surface of the electronic component located above the well 20 With the wells 20 having the inlet, optimal results can be achieved. The hydraulic diameter of the wells 20 is defined by the following equation: Hydraulic diameter = 4 x cross sectional area / (2 x well depth + 2 x well width). As shown in the figures, the nozzles are preferably located at the ends of the wells 20 so that the cooling fluid is reflected from the surfaces of the electronic components and the walls of the wells 20 adjacent the nozzles.

The nozzles promote a high degree of turbulence due to the collision of the cooling fluid with the surface of the electronic component. This turbulence can be controlled by appropriate choice of well depth and hydraulic diameter. The low well depth and small hydraulic diameter tend to weaken the flow again, thereby reducing some improvement in heat transfer. In other words, deep well depths or large hydraulic diameters tend to reduce heat transfer enhancement due to a decrease in the velocity of the fluid adjacent to the surface.

The plastic cooler 10 may have a pressure drop over the length of the feed channel 12 that is significantly less than the pressure drop applied to the well. The reduced pressure across the supply channel 12 is at least sufficient for the size, shape and flow characteristics of the well 20 and the inlet 21 and outlet 22 to achieve this relative pressure drop relationship. Is achieved by increasing the size. The pressure drop across the length of the feed channel 12 should not be greater than one tenth of the pressure drop across the individual wells 20. In one embodiment, each well 20 has the same size, shape, and flow characteristics.

The inlet (21) and outlet (22) of the well (20) take the form of long slots. The slots act as nozzles that allow cooling fluid to flow against the bottom surface of the electronic components. The inlet 21 and outlet 22 are sufficiently small as compared to the channels 12 and 13 such that a pressure drop across the channel 13 can not be measured as the cooling fluid flows into each of the wells 20. Another embodiment of the inlet 21 and outlet 22 is shown as shown in Figure 8 so that the inlet 21 and the outlet 22 are in the form of a plurality of holes 25). The ports (see FIG. 6) will be formed as long slots extending downward from the bottom of the well toward the supply and discharge channels 12,13. These slots are perpendicular to the surface of the plastic cooler 10. This combination achieves a more coarse flow that enhances heat transfer without significant impact pressure drop. The uncomplicated shape of the wells, inlets and channels has wells of various depths and provides a much easier manufacture than that associated with other related devices requiring the use of obstacles located in the flow path to improve turbulence.

The channels 12,13 provide substantially equal pressure along the entire length of the two channels so that the same inlet pressure and pressure difference can be seen in each well 20 and can have equivalent flow, Cooling capability.

The use of channels with these properties minimizes, and preferably avoids, the problem of reduced flow in each of the subsidiary wells.

A clean coolant that minimizes the cooling capacity of all of the wells 20 is also achieved by directly connecting each well 20 to the inlet 12 in correspondence with having a series of cooling flow rates from the first well to the last well Is supplied to each well 20.

The power assembly operates as a single phase for applications requiring high power output levels, or as a three phase for applications requiring low power output levels. Referring to Figure 9, the film capacitor 500 is used as a typical electrolyte capacitor application. The use of the film die caciters 500 reduces manufacturing costs, reduces the overall load of the assembly, reduces the overall size of the assembly, and increases the reliability of the device. The film capacitor 500 improves the reliability of the assembly by eliminating the need to evaporate the electrolyte liquid present when conventional electrolytic capacitors are used. Mounting of mounting devices for attaching assemblies in other components or subassemblies, such as bus plates 506, angular bus plates 508, IGBT modules 512, 514, and VSD closure (not shown) Mounting gaps 504 are disposed on the capacitors 500. [ Mounting bases 510 are also disposed on film capacitor 500 to mount the entire assembly to a shelf or other suitable surface (not shown). Fasteners 516, i.e., screws or other suitable fasteners, are used to conform to the crevice 504 to secure the components to the capacitor.

In another example, additional electronic components may be attached to the plastic cooler 10 on a surface facing the well. Additional open wells will be included on the opposing surface and heat from the additional power device can be removed by the liquid coolant in direct contact with the bottom of the additional electronic component in the plastic cooler. Alternatively, if a cooling well is not used on the opposite surface, the electronic components can be cooled by transferring the heat through the component to the plastic cooler and then to the liquid.

10, the inductor 400 includes two major subassemblies, a core 402 and a coil 403. The core 402 subassembly may be configured as a plurality of thin steel strips 404, referred to as laminations. Multiple lamination sheets 404 are stacked to form the core 402 of the inductor 400. During the manufacturing process, silicon may be added to the steel to improve the electrical resistance of the lamination 404. The grain orientation of the lamination 404 lowers the losses and extends the boundaries of useful operation of the core 402 material. The laminations 404 are used to minimize the losses associated with the eddy current and eddy currents of interest as the operating frequency of the inductor 400 increases. Although a silicon steel liner 404 may be used in one embodiment, it will be appreciated that other types of suitable materials may be used. For example, alternative lamination materials include, but are not limited to, nickel iron, cobalt alloy, powdered iron, a first alloy, molybdenum permalloy powdered iron, nickel-iron powder, ceramic ferrite, manganese zinc ferrite , Nickel zinc ferrite and manganese ferrite.

The core losses are caused by hysteresis losses and eddy current losses, which increase the operating temperature of the core 402 and reduce the efficiency of the inductor 400. The operating temperature of the core 402 affects other materials used in the inductor 400, such as an insulating material or polish. Each material has a maximum operating temperature, and the operating temperature of the core 402 determines a useful option for the insulating material. As the insulating material is reduced, as the operating temperature increases the number of options available for use, the material cost is increased. The useful life of an inductor is affected as the inductor's operating temperature increases.

The coil 403 subassembly consists of insulating materials and current carrying conductors. Conductors can be of the appropriate type of conductive material, copper and aluminum. Copper conductors have lower resistivity than aluminum conductors, are high in price and small in weight. Sheets of conductors are typically embedded in layers of insulating material. The insulating material may be a suitable insulating material, such as Nomex® brand fibers (manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company), ceramic or woven glass fiber. Air ducts are provided between the coil layers for movement of air, pressurized air or natural convection, and remove heat caused by the losses associated with the coils. The operating temperatures of the coil conductors and insulators are ultimately determined by the combination of loss and air motion.

Referring to FIG. 11, a cooler (see FIG. 4) is applied to the upper surface of the core 602 of the inductor 600. Cooler 10 uses a fluid, such as water, glycol, or refrigerant, to cool core 602. The fluid flows through the cooler and absorbs heat generated by the core.

In order to enable heat conduction through the core 602 including the core gaps, heat conduction through the core gap is possible, while a thermally conductive non-ferromagnetic material is used to provide an appropriate core gap. Materials such as "Grade A Solid Boron Nitride" manufactured by Saint Gobain Ceramics Inc. may be used, but other materials that may be used include aluminum nitride ceramics and alumina ceramics.

Coil 604 is formed by closely sandwiching layers of electrically insulating and thermally conductive material between layers of aluminum or copper foil to form a low temperature impedance coil subassembly. The heat generated by the coil subassembly is transmitted by the heat transfer from the coil 604 to the core 602 and incidentally to the heat sink connected to the core 602 where the heat generated by the liquid flowing through the heat sink Absorbed. Insulating thermally conductive sheet materials can be commercially useful materials, such as Cho-Therm (TM), Therma-Gap (TM), Therm- Attach (TM) and Therma-Flow (TM). In other embodiments, other suitable materials compatible with standard insulation polishes used in conventional inductor fabrication processes may be used, which exhibit tear-through capability at maximum continuous operating operating temperatures near 200 degrees Celsius. The coil layers are tightly wound around the core leg to provide a thermal conduction path to the core.

FIG. 12 shows computer simulation results for predicting the temperature distribution in the inductor 600 with the core 602 shown in FIG. 11, showing temperature gradients in the inductor 600 as variable color shadows. The table below shows the effect of various thermally conductive insulation materials on peak inductor temperature rise.

Winding material aluminum Winding thickness 0.031 Thermal conductivity of winding material
[W / mK] 240 Heat generation per co [W] 1146 Heat generation in the core [W] 344 Winding speed 15 Gap material Gap pad 1500 Gap Pad 5000S35 Gap Pad 3000S30 Sil pad 2000 Gap material thickness [in] 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.01 Thermal conductivity of the gap material
[W / mK] 1.5 5 3 3.5 Total wound winding thickness [in] 0.915 0.765 0.615 0.615 Overall winding conductance in the transverse direction [W / mK] 3.03 12.35 11.84 13.73 Total winding conductance in the parallel direction [W / mK] 122.70 147.84 182.20 182.32 Maximum temperature upper [K] 290.4 233.8 232.4 229.0

Table 1

Another embodiment is an active converter module having an integrated means for controlling the precharge of DC link capacitors in a power assembly such as the precharge device described in co-owned U. S. Patent Application Serial No. 11 / 073,830, .

It will be understood that the present application is not limited to the details or methodology disclosed in the specification or described in the drawings. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments described in the drawings and described herein are preferred, and that these embodiments are provided by way of example only. Accordingly, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments, but extends to various modifications within the scope of the appended claims. The order of certain processes or method steps may be changed or reordered according to other embodiments.

The configuration and arrangement of plastic coolers for variable speed drives and inductors as shown in various exemplary embodiments is for illustrative purposes only. Although several embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications (i. E., Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention) It will be appreciated that the size, dimensions, structure, shape and ratio of various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, color, orientation, etc.) are possible. For example, the elements shown as being integrally formed can be composed of multiple parts or elements, the positions of the elements can be reversed or changed, and the properties, number, or positions of nonuniform elements can be changed. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present application. The order of certain processes or method steps may be changed or reordered according to other embodiments. In the claims, the means-function clause is intended to encompass the equivalents as well as the structures described herein and structural equivalents, such as those recited herein. Other permutations, modifications, and variations and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present application.

10: cooler 12: supply channel
13: exhaust channel 20: well
21: inlet 22: outlet
25: nozzle hole

Claims (18)

A power assembly for a variable speed drive,
Film capacitors;
At least one cooling device mounted on an outer surface of the film capacitor, wherein the cooling device is constructed of plastic, and is configured to operate as a heat sink for the film capacitor and to circulate the cooling fluid through the cooling device, A cooling device configured to absorb heat generated from the cooling device; And
At least one electrical component mounted on the at least one cooling device, the at least one electrical component being directly cooled by a cooling fluid circulating in the cooling device,
Wherein the plastic comprises a coefficient of thermal expansion less than a predetermined value,
A liquid absorbing capacity value smaller than a preset value,
A power assembly for a variable speed drive having a tensile strength higher than a predetermined value. 2. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein the film capacitor comprises mounting fasteners for mounting additional electrical components at the same time as additional cooling devices and for mounting the power assembly. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein the plastic material is selected from the group consisting of polyphenylene oxide, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyamides. 2. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling device operates under a continuous use temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein the fluid flowing through the at least one cooling device is a refrigerant, glycol, or water. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling device is manufactured by an injection molding process or a machining process. 2. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrical components are mounted to the at least one cooling device. 2. The power assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling device mounted on the film capacitor is secured to the film capacitor having at least one fastener. 9. The power assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one fastener is a screw. As an inductor,
A core having at least one core leg;
A coil for heat exchange with the at least one core leg;
A cooling device mounted on an upper surface of the core for heat exchange with the core, the cooling device being made of plastic, being operative with a heat sink for the core and configured to circulate a cooling fluid through the cooling device, And a cooling device configured to absorb the generated heat,
At least one electrical component is mounted to at least one cooling device and said at least one electrical component is directly cooled by a cooling fluid circulated in said at least one cooling device,
Wherein the plastic has a thermal expansion coefficient of less than a predetermined value,
A liquid absorbing capacity value smaller than a preset value,
An inductor having a tensile strength higher than a predetermined value. 11. The inductor of claim 10, wherein the coil comprises layers of a material that is thermally conductive and electrically insulating. 11. The inductor of claim 10, wherein the core comprises a core gap filled with a thermally conductive non-ferromagnetic material. The inductor according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of electric parts are mounted on the cooling device. 11. The inductor of claim 10 wherein the cooling device operates at a continuous use temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. 11. The inductor of claim 10, wherein the fluid flowing through the cooling device is a refrigerant, glycol, or water. 11. The inductor according to claim 10, wherein the cooling device is manufactured by an injection molding process or a machining process. 13. The inductor of claim 12, wherein the thermally conductive non-ferromagnetic material is a ceramic.

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